Developing a mobile phone policy: guidance for schools

We are seeking views on draft guidance to support schools in restricting the use of mobile phones during the school day. The guidance has been developed in response to growing concerns about the impact of mobile phone use on learners’ wellbeing, engagement, behaviour and learning, while recognising the important role that digital technology can play in education when used appropriately.

Specifically, the consultation aims to:

• maximise engagement with schools and education practitioners
• align with school planning and policy review cycles
• enable stakeholders to consider the guidance within the context of existing school policies and operational arrangements
• inform the refinement of the guidance ahead of publication and implementation

A range of impact assessments have been undertaken to support the development of the guidance, including a Workload Impact Assessment. These assessments indicate that the guidance is not expected to create significant additional workload for schools. However, the consultation process will provide an important opportunity to gather further evidence on any practical challenges, implementation considerations and potential workload implications, ensuring that any necessary support can be developed prior to implementation.

Alongside the consultation, the Welsh Government will work with schools, local authorities and other partners to develop practical, non-statutory resources to support implementation. These resources will be made available through Hwb and will help schools translate the guidance into local policies and practice.

The Welsh Government is committed to ensuring that everyone affected by the guidance has an opportunity to contribute to its development. Easy read and learner versions of the consultation document will therefore be published alongside the main consultation document to support accessibility and inclusive participation.

This 12-week consultation seeks views from partners including maintained and independent schools, Pupil Referral Units (PRUs), Special Schools, local authorities, professional associations as well as learners, parents and carers, school leaders, teachers, governing bodies and other interested stakeholders on the proposed guidance and its practical implementation. The consultation will help ensure that the final guidance is clear, effective and workable across a range of educational settings.

The Welsh Government's First 100-Days Plan made a clear commitment to act on the issue of mobile phone use in schools. Since then, I have listened carefully to the views of school leaders, practitioners, parents and learners, and I recognise the growing call for greater national clarity and consistency in this area.

The impact that mobile phones, social media and wider technology can have on the wellbeing, behaviour and learning experiences of children and young people is a matter of significant concern. Schools and families across Wales have raised legitimate concerns about distraction in the classroom, the effect on concentration and attainment, and the wider implications for children's mental health and wellbeing.

I want to be clear: as Cabinet Minister, I am setting a clear national expectation that the use of mobile phones is restricted during the school day, with approaches up to and including a full restriction across the school site. At the same time, I recognise that there will always need to be appropriate exceptions, including for learners who require access to a device for medical or additional learning needs.

Currently, decisions about mobile phone use during the school day are made by individual schools and governing bodies. Headteachers already have the authority to restrict or prohibit the use of devices, and many have chosen to do so. I continue to believe that schools are best placed to understand their own circumstances and the needs of their learners. However, I also recognise that schools are increasingly seeking stronger national direction and greater consistency of approach.

To inform this work, the Welsh Government commissioned a workforce survey on mobile phone use in schools. The findings demonstrated that while most schools already have policies in place, there is considerable variation in approach. Importantly, a significant majority of respondents expressed support for greater national direction, with 82% favouring statutory restrictions.

In light of this evidence, I am launching a public consultation on new statutory guidance for schools and local authorities. The purpose of the consultation will be to seek views on strengthening and clarifying national expectations regarding the use of mobile phones during the school day, including options to restrict their use more consistently across Welsh schools.

My aim is to strike the right balance between providing clear national expectations that support learning, behaviour and wellbeing, while maintaining sufficient flexibility for schools to respond to local circumstances and the needs of individual learners. The consultation will give schools, parents, learners and stakeholders the opportunity to help shape a final framework that is both practical and effective.

The proposed guidance will set out strengthened expectations for schools and local authorities and will support the creation of safer, less distracting learning environments. Subject to the outcome of consultation, the guidance will be implemented and evaluated over the course of the school year, with the option of considering further measures should additional action prove necessary.

I encourage everyone with an interest in the wellbeing and success of our children and young people to participate in the consultation and help shape this important next step.

Anna Brychan MS
Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language

The Welsh Government’s First 100-Days Plan commits the government to empower local authorities to promote students’ safety, learning and well-being through restricting the use of smartphones in schools for under-16s, working with councils and school leaders to implement this in a practical and proportionate way, with appropriate exemptions where necessary.

There is currently no specific legislation or guidance in place in relation to the use of mobile phones in schools. However, schools and local authorities already have general discretionary functions that can be utilised to set policies for the use of mobile phones (and digital devices) in schools. We understand that most schools in Wales have mobile phone policies, which can include restricting usage during lessons and (or) at breaktime.

Restricting phones supports a safer and more focused learning environment by reducing distractions, improving concentration, and minimising disruption in lessons, enabling students to engage more fully with their learning. It also helps protect young people from risks such as cyberbullying, exposure to harmful online content, and the pressures of constant social media use, which can negatively impact mental health.

In addition, clear and consistent restrictions can improve behaviour, reduce conflict, and encourage more positive face-to-face interaction, contributing to a stronger school culture. The approach is intended to be practical and proportionate, with flexibility for schools to provide appropriate exemptions where necessary, such as for medical or safeguarding needs.

To better understand the issue, in early 2026 a Survey of mobile phone use in schools: policies and impacts was carried out. It asked the school workforce a range of questions including around what mobile phone policies are already in place in schools, how they are managed, enforced and what challenges and facilitators practitioners have experienced in the development and implementation of their policy or guidance. The survey also asked how respondents thought Welsh Government should approach this at a national level. The survey findings showed that while there is variation in how mobile phone use is managed across settings, most respondents reported a formal written policy (66.3%), with smaller proportions reporting written guidance and rules (18.0%) or unwritten guidance (13.2%). Approaches are broadly restrictive, most commonly allowing phones on site but not during the school day (46.3%), though qualitative responses indicate variation in how this is applied in practice (for example, use of storage versus collection systems at the start of the day or during lessons). A large majority of respondents sought for greater national direction, with 82.0% in favour of statutory restrictions.

The Welsh Government is proposing new statutory guidance on mobile phone use in schools to provide clearer national expectations and support schools in creating safe, focused, and positive learning environments.

The draft guidance, developed in response to commitments in the First 100-Days Plan and feedback from schools and stakeholders, would establish an expectation that schools restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day. While allowing flexibility for local circumstances, the guidance would outline a spectrum of approaches, from tightly controlled use to full restrictions across the school site.

The proposals are intended to:

• provide clearer national direction while maintaining local flexibility
• support schools to develop clear, consistent and proportionate mobile phone policies
• reduce classroom distractions and improve learners’ concentration, engagement and attainment
• promote positive behaviour and increase opportunities for face-to-face interaction
• help protect children and young people from cyberbullying, harmful online content and social media pressures
• improve learner wellbeing and safety

The guidance would build on existing legislative powers. Current legislation already enables local authorities, governing bodies and further education institutions to restrict mobile phone use and places duties on them to safeguard and promote the welfare and wellbeing of children and young people. Rather than introducing immediate new legislation, the preferred approach is to strengthen expectations through statutory guidance issued by Welsh Ministers.

Under the proposals, all maintained and independent schools in Wales would be expected to have a mobile phone policy, either as a standalone document or as part of a broader behaviour or wellbeing policy. The guidance would identify the factors schools should consider when developing their approach, including the extent of any restrictions and the circumstances in which exemptions may be appropriate, such as for medical needs.

As statutory guidance, governing bodies would be required to have regard to its contents when developing and reviewing their policies. While schools would retain discretion over their final arrangements, any decision to depart from the guidance would need to be justified and demonstrate that it had been reached reasonably and with proper consideration of relevant factors.

The Welsh Government considers that statutory guidance is likely to achieve the desired outcome of ensuring all schools have a clear policy governing mobile phone use and appropriate restrictions in place. This formal public consultation will test and refine the guidance, gather stakeholder views, assess workload implications, and enable further engagement with the teaching workforce and unions before publication.

Following consultation and implementation, the guidance would be evaluated over the course of a school year. The Welsh Government would retain the option of considering stronger measures, including primary legislation, in the future should further action be required.

This consultation will run for a period of 12 weeks, after which all responses will be analysed and considered by the Welsh Government. Feedback will be considered and any revisions made and, subject to agreement by the Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, the guidance will be published on the Welsh Government’s website.

Question 1

Do you agree that the draft Mobile phones in schools guidance provides sufficient information to support your setting and local authorities to develop and maintain an effective mobile phone policy?

Question 2

Do you agree that the draft Mobile phones in schools guidance is clear and easy to understand?

Question 3

Do you agree that the draft Mobile phones in schools guidance is easy to use when developing and maintaining a mobile phone policy?

Question 4

Do you agree that the draft Mobile phones in schools guidance covers the main considerations for school settings and local authorities when developing and implementing a mobile phone policy (for example, use during the school day, storage, exemptions, communication and enforcement)?

Question 5

Do you agree that the draft Mobile phones in schools guidance provides practical support for school settings and local authorities when implementing a mobile phone policy?

Question 6

Schools and settings may also need to consider other personal digital devices, such as tablets, smart watches and smart glasses, when developing their policies. To what extent do you agree that additional guidance on these devices should be included?

Question 7

Do you agree that the draft Mobile phones in schools guidance adequately reflects the ways in which mobile phones may be used during the school day for educational, administrative or other school-related purposes (for example, accessing timetables, educational apps or meal payment systems)?

Question 8

Do you have any views on whether further action, including legislation, may be required to support the aims of the guidance? (If you do, please explain your answer and, where relevant, what form that action should take.)

Question 9

Do you have any further comments on how the guidance could be improved to help school settings and local authorities develop, implement and maintain an effective mobile phone policy? (If you do, please outline them below.)

Question 10

What, in your opinion, would be the likely effects of the guidance on the Welsh language? We are particularly interested in any likely effects on opportunities to use the Welsh language and on not treating the Welsh language less favourably than English.

Do you think that there are opportunities to promote any positive effects?
Do you think that there are opportunities to mitigate any adverse effects?

Question 11

In your opinion, could the guidance be formulated or changed so as to:

• have positive effects or more positive effects on using the Welsh language and on not treating the Welsh language less favourably than English; or 
• mitigate any negative effects on using the Welsh language and on not treating the Welsh language less favourably than English?

Please use the consultation response form to respond to the above questions.

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